tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1643092331729126387.post572182853329256843..comments2024-03-28T19:02:37.054+00:00Comments on More than Writers: Letter to my teacher - by Helen Murrayauntyamohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08213728883228063200noreply@blogger.comBlogger19125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1643092331729126387.post-39330563742089822202015-10-26T20:22:58.095+00:002015-10-26T20:22:58.095+00:00I'm with you there. I so hope that my daughter...I'm with you there. I so hope that my daughters find teachers like that.Helenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05559604728716256864noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1643092331729126387.post-52390496235408483252015-10-26T20:20:59.595+00:002015-10-26T20:20:59.595+00:00Oh yes, great lumps of literature lodged in our he...Oh yes, great lumps of literature lodged in our heads (she says, poetically!). It's a precious thing. Thanks for leaving a comment, Edmund. Helenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05559604728716256864noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1643092331729126387.post-10334707636211315162015-10-26T20:19:48.526+00:002015-10-26T20:19:48.526+00:00Thanks, Joy, for your lovely encouraging words, as...Thanks, Joy, for your lovely encouraging words, as always. xHelenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05559604728716256864noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1643092331729126387.post-29488856032188247702015-10-23T23:39:58.183+01:002015-10-23T23:39:58.183+01:00And I remember the teacher - in my final year at s...And I remember the teacher - in my final year at school - who brought literature to life. I had had 5 years of dull, mechanistic teaching and this young teacher, fresh out of university, changed everything. I can still remember, 50 years later, not only the man but actual specific moments in his classroom. He ignited a fire in me that has burned since. Nothing is as precious as a good teacher. Fran Bhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13497526684591168192noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1643092331729126387.post-70809262758771428422015-10-23T21:16:26.326+01:002015-10-23T21:16:26.326+01:00Yes, I had similar brilliant English teachers. Bei...Yes, I had similar brilliant English teachers. Being made to learn poems when aged seven made me cry then, but I too am glad to have all that poetry lodged in my memory, plus the habit of learning by heart, which stood me in good stead when I discovered the Bible!Edmundnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1643092331729126387.post-34176943103925463982015-10-23T20:09:57.183+01:002015-10-23T20:09:57.183+01:00What a glorious teacher you had, and what a beauti...What a glorious teacher you had, and what a beautiful tribute to her! The insights she had into your potential are no less true today. You write well, with tender vulnerability and in a way that means readers can easily relate to your experiences. One day that book (and more) will be in your hands and that of your eager readers. Mine's a signed copy, OK? Lovely post, Helen. Xx :)Joy Lentonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03486637586238798088noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1643092331729126387.post-24564510970891697332015-10-23T18:28:05.832+01:002015-10-23T18:28:05.832+01:00Thank you! :-)Thank you! :-)Helenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05559604728716256864noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1643092331729126387.post-79486614161297910202015-10-23T15:35:08.210+01:002015-10-23T15:35:08.210+01:00Oh Helen, I love this...and I love your honesty as...Oh Helen, I love this...and I love your honesty as always. xAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1643092331729126387.post-67301031916282323822015-10-23T12:25:06.416+01:002015-10-23T12:25:06.416+01:00Absolutely. They can change lives.Absolutely. They can change lives.Helenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05559604728716256864noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1643092331729126387.post-88460826597845774242015-10-23T12:21:13.164+01:002015-10-23T12:21:13.164+01:00Oh my goodness Helen, this made me cry. Praise God...Oh my goodness Helen, this made me cry. Praise God for good teachers who encourage and inspire. Mandy Baker Johnsonhttp://www.mandybakerjohnson.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1643092331729126387.post-6744108839207160182015-10-23T11:47:14.444+01:002015-10-23T11:47:14.444+01:00Thank you! Re: the angels - I hope so. She's m...Thank you! Re: the angels - I hope so. She's much missed. Helenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05559604728716256864noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1643092331729126387.post-69418252770079404422015-10-23T11:46:25.120+01:002015-10-23T11:46:25.120+01:00Thanks, Wendy. I need a bit of her no-nonsense, &#...Thanks, Wendy. I need a bit of her no-nonsense, 'pull yourself together and get on with it!' at the moment. Helenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05559604728716256864noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1643092331729126387.post-27875711797828429702015-10-23T11:45:32.915+01:002015-10-23T11:45:32.915+01:00Fran, I have no doubt that they will. Fran, I have no doubt that they will. Helenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05559604728716256864noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1643092331729126387.post-91729648626609138362015-10-23T11:45:06.574+01:002015-10-23T11:45:06.574+01:00Yes! We did Sohrab and Rustum too! and Ozymandias,...Yes! We did Sohrab and Rustum too! and Ozymandias, and Yeats' Cuchulain... happy days. I can still quote chunks of them. How precious is a good teacher. So glad you had a similar experience. Helenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05559604728716256864noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1643092331729126387.post-54765851651177114212015-10-23T10:33:09.942+01:002015-10-23T10:33:09.942+01:00This reminded me so much of my class teacher at We...This reminded me so much of my class teacher at Wellington Primary School in Hounslow, Mrs Shimwell, of blessed memory. I already loved writing before I entered her class but she introduced me to literature I knew nothing about. How many teachers nowadays would introduce 9 year olds to Matthew Arnold's Sohrab and Rustum? I soaked it up like a sponge. I remember she brought in a children's author to talk to the class and singled out some children for him to talk to individually. I was one of them, and I remember having a conversation with him about the books I was going to write when I grew up. My family moved away and I lost touch with Mrs Shimwell and have no idea whether or not she's still in the land of the living, but I will never forget her. Thank you, Helen, for reminding me of her again today.rosbayeshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12682832936395894834noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1643092331729126387.post-88807843305227675282015-10-23T09:55:21.831+01:002015-10-23T09:55:21.831+01:00I hope someone writes about me like this one day! ...I hope someone writes about me like this one day! Fran Hillhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07935088780461825341noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1643092331729126387.post-20834768748573872802015-10-23T09:49:03.117+01:002015-10-23T09:49:03.117+01:00Beautifully put Helen. What a wonderful start to y...Beautifully put Helen. What a wonderful start to your writing careerWendy H. Joneshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04022089775887274043noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1643092331729126387.post-14159163782865279262015-10-23T09:29:01.344+01:002015-10-23T09:29:01.344+01:00Wise and wonderful, Helen! I hope your teacher is ...Wise and wonderful, Helen! I hope your teacher is grinning somewhere among the angels, deservedly smug!Aggie Chttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18423816343811534473noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1643092331729126387.post-20862166507750474252015-10-23T09:28:50.597+01:002015-10-23T09:28:50.597+01:00Wise and wonderful, Helen! I hope your teacher is ...Wise and wonderful, Helen! I hope your teacher is grinning somewhere among the angels, deservedly smug!Aggie Chttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18423816343811534473noreply@blogger.com